BEIJING -- The National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Tuesday issued a blue alert for typhoon Tembin, as the storm is heading toward the east coast of Taiwan.

As of 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Tembin was located at 470 km southeast of Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan, packing winds of 172.8 km per hour, the NMC said.

The storm is expected to move toward eastern Taiwan at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour while gathering force along the way, bringing heavy winds to the area, the NMC said.

Typhoon Tembin, the 14th named storm of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season, has brought heavy rains to the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and flash floods that have left thousands displaced.